The Center on Disability Studies at UH Manoa to Celebrate Disability Mentoring Day on October 18th

HONOLULU - "Disability Mentoring Day: Career Development for the 21st Century," will be presented on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006, by the National Technical Assistance Center for Asian American and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities (NTAC-AAPI), at UH Manoa‘s Center on Disability Studies.

Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) enables job-seekers and students with disabilities to spend part of a day visiting a local business or agency that matches their interests, and to have one-on-one time with volunteer mentors in their intended career fields. DMD also provides Hawaiian employers with an opportunity to promote the employment of people with disabilities. Current local supporters of the program include Red Lobster restaurant and the United States Coast Guard.

DMD is a local, national and international effort administered by the American Association of People with Disabilities and the U.S. Department of Labor. DMD was established in 1999 with less than three dozen participants. In 2005, participants included some 9,000 people with disabilities and more than 2,000 non-profit, governmental, private and educational organizations.

Hawaiʻi employers interested in participating as a mentor for Disability Mentoring Day 2006 or job-seekers interested in participating as a mentee may contact James D. Brightman by email at jamesdb@hawaii.edu or by phone at 956-3648.